NATO battalions ready to deter Russia

Four international battalions stationed in eastern Europe are now ready to respond to any Russian "aggression", the defence ministers from eight NATO countries said on Thursday.

Germany, Britain, the United States and Canada currently lead four multi-national "battlegroups" in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland, as tripwires against possible Russian adventurism.

"Today, we declare that (these battalions) are ready and able to deter and, if necessary, immediately respond to any aggression in concert with national forces underpinned by a viable reinforcement strategy," the defence ministers said in a joint statement at a Brussels summit.

Under a programme called the Enhanced Forward Presence (EFP), NATO deployed the battalions in Poland and the Baltic states, a region formerly under Moscow's control, following alarm over Russian actions in Ukraine and Syria.

Adding to tensions, Russia is preparing massive military exercises in its west in September, and has deployed a missile system in the neighbouring enclave of Kaliningrad.